Digital Commons Network^™

Structure Of A Truncated Human Glcnac-1-Phosphotransferase Variant Reveals The Basis For Its Hyperactivity, Hua Li, Balraj Doray, Benjamin C Jennings, Wang-Sik Lee, Lin Liu, Stuart Kornfeld, Huilin Li

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Mutations that cause loss of function of GlcNAc-1-phosphotransferase (PTase) lead to the lysosomal storage disorder mucolipidosis II. PTase is the key enzyme of the mannose 6-phosphate (M6P) targeting system that is responsible for tagging lysosomal hydrolases with the M6P moiety for their delivery to the lysosome. We had previously generated a truncated hyperactive form of PTase termed S1S3 which was shown to notably increase the phosphorylation level of secreted lysosomal enzymes and enhance their uptake by cells. Here, we report the 3.4 Å cryo-EM structure of soluble S1S3 lacking both transmembrane domains and cytosolic tails. The structure reveals a high …

Outcomes Of Double-Valve Surgery For Infective Endocarditis Are Improving In The Modern Era, Paighton C Miller, Linda J Schulte, Theodore Marghitu, Shengxiang Huang, Tsuyoshi Kaneko, Ralph J Damiano, Puja Kachroo

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: The incidence of infective endocarditis (IE) is rapidly increasing. Contemporary outcomes following high-risk double valve surgery (DVS) for IE are not well described.

METHODS: Between 2001 and 2021, 211 patients with IE underwent combined aortic and mitral valve surgery at a tertiary care referral center. Data from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons registry, including demographics, operative details, and outcomes, were collected. Risk factors for 30-day and 1-year-mortality were analyzed. Survival was analyzed using Kaplan-Meier and Cox proportional hazards modeling.

RESULTS: The study cohort had a male preponderance (73%), with a median age of 56 years (interquartile range [IQR], 44 …

Neural Correlates Of Novelty-Evoked Distress In 4-Month-Old Infants: A Synthetic Cohort Study, Courtney A Filippi, Anderson M Winkler, Dana Kanel, Jed T Elison, Hannah Hardiman, Chad Sylvester, Daniel S Pine, Nathan A Fox

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Observational assessments of infant temperament have provided unparalleled insight into prediction of risk for social anxiety. However, it is challenging to administer and score these assessments alongside high-quality infant neuroimaging data. In the current study, we aimed to identify infant resting-state functional connectivity associated with both parent report and observed behavioral estimates of infant novelty-evoked distress.

METHODS: Using data from the OIT (Origins of Infant Temperament) study, which includes deep phenotyping of infant temperament, we identified parent-report measures that were associated with observed novelty-evoked distress. These parent-report measures were then summarized into a composite score used for imaging analysis. …

Comprehensive Molecular Profiling Of Multiple Myeloma Identifies Refined Copy Number And Expression Subtypes, Sheri Skerget, Ravi Vij, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Multiple myeloma is a treatable, but currently incurable, hematological malignancy of plasma cells characterized by diverse and complex tumor genetics for which precision medicine approaches to treatment are lacking. The Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation's Relating Clinical Outcomes in Multiple Myeloma to Personal Assessment of Genetic Profile study ( NCT01454297 ) is a longitudinal, observational clinical study of newly diagnosed patients with multiple myeloma (n = 1,143) where tumor samples are characterized using whole-genome sequencing, whole-exome sequencing and RNA sequencing at diagnosis and progression, and clinical data are collected every 3 months. Analyses of the baseline cohort identified genes that are …

Antiretroviral Therapy And Cardiovascular Risk In People With Hiv In The United States-An Updated Analysis, Luis Parra-Rodriguez, John M Sahrmann, Anne M Butler, Margaret A Olsen, William G Powderly, Jane A O'Halloran

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Several antiretroviral therapy (ART) medications have been associated with increased cardiovascular risk, but less is known about the safety of modern ART. We sought to compare the risk of major adverse cardiac events (MACEs) among different ART regimens.

METHODS: Using insurance claims databases from 2008 to 2020, we identified adults aged <65 years who newly initiated ART. We compared non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI)-based regimens to protease inhibitors (PI)- and integrase inhibitors (INSTI)-based regimens. We used propensity score-weighted Kaplan-Meier functions to estimate the 6, 12, 18, 24, 36, and 48 months' risk and risk differences (RD) of MACE.

RESULTS: Among 37 935 ART initiators (median age, 40 years; 23% female; 26% Medicaid-insured), 45% started INSTI-, 16% PI-, and 39% NNRTI-based regimens. MACE occurred in 418 individuals (1.1%) within 48 months after ART initiation. Compared to NNRTI initiators, the risk of MACE was higher at 12 months …

Investigating The Use Of Signal Detection Information In Supervised Learning-Based Image Denoising With Consideration Of Task-Shift, Kaiyan Li, Hua Li, Mark A Anastasio

2020-Current year OA Pubs

PURPOSE: Recently, learning-based denoising methods that incorporate task-relevant information into the training procedure have been developed to enhance the utility of the denoised images. However, this line of research is relatively new and underdeveloped, and some fundamental issues remain unexplored. Our purpose is to yield insights into general issues related to these task-informed methods. This includes understanding the impact of denoising on objective measures of image quality (IQ) when the specified task at inference time is different from that employed for model training, a phenomenon we refer to as "task-shift."

APPROACH: A virtual imaging test bed comprising a stylized computational …

Influenza Vaccination Stimulates Maturation Of The Human T Follicular Helper Cell Response, Stefan A Schattgen, Jackson S Turner, Aaron J Schmitz, Julian Q Zhou, Wooseob Kim, Katherine M Mcintire, Alem Haile, Michael K Klebert, Teresa Suessen, William D Middleton, Sharlene A Teefey, Rachel M Presti, Ali H Ellebedy, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

The differentiation and specificity of human CD4

A Novel Antigen Biomarker For Detection Of High-Level Of Loa Loa Microfilaremia, Sarah E Greene, Yuefang Huang, Kerstin Fischer, Bruce A. Rosa, John Martin, Makedonka Mitreva, Devyn Yates, Samuel Wanji, Joseph Kamgno, Philip J. Budge, Gary J. Weil, Peter U. Fischer

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Loiasis is a disease caused by the nematode Loa loa. Serious adverse events sometimes occur in people with heavy L. loa microfilaremia after ivermectin treatment. In regions of Central Africa where loiasis is endemic, this significantly impedes global elimination programs for lymphatic filariasis and onchocerciasis that use mass distribution of ivermectin. Improved diagnostic tests to identify individuals at increased risk of serious adverse events could facilitate efforts to eliminate lymphatic filariasis and onchocerciasis in this region.

METHODS AND FINDINGS: We previously identified the L. loa protein Ll-Bhp-1 in loiasis patient sera. Here, we further characterize Ll-Bhp-1 and report development …

Frontostriatal Salience Network Expansion In Individuals In Depression, Charles J Lynch, Evan M Gordon, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Decades of neuroimaging studies have shown modest differences in brain structure and connectivity in depression, hindering mechanistic insights or the identification of risk factors for disease onset

Pfas Levels, Early Life Factors, And Mammographic Breast Density In Premenopausal Women, Yitao S Ning, Kayla R Getz, Joy K Kyeyune, Myung Sik Jeon, Chongliang Luo, Jingqin Luo, Adetunji T Toriola

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Mammographic breast density (MBD) is a strong risk factor and an intermediate phenotype for breast cancer, yet there are limited studies on how environmental pollutants are associated with MBD.

OBJECTIVE: We investigated associations of perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), and perfluorohexane sulfonate (PFHxS) levels with measures of MBD and evaluated if early life factors modified any associations.

METHODS: Metabolon performed metabolomics analysis using ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography/tandem accurate mass spectrometry in fasting blood from 705 premenopausal women completing their annual screening mammogram in St. Louis, Missouri. We calculated least square means (LSM) of mammographic volumetric percent density (VPD), dense …

Repeat Modules And N-Linked Glycans Define Structure And Antigenicity Of A Critical Enterotoxigenic E. Coli Adhesin, Zachary T. Berndsen, Marjahan Akhtar, Mahima Thapa, Tim J. Vickers, Aaron Schmitz, Pardeep Kumar, Nazia Khatoon, Alaullah Sheikh, Melissa Hamrick, Jackson S. Turner, Ali H. Ellebedy, James M. Fleckenstein, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) cause hundreds of millions of cases of infectious diarrhea annually, predominantly in children from low-middle income regions. Notably, in children, as well as volunteers challenged with ETEC, diarrheal severity is significantly increased in blood group A (bgA) individuals. EtpA, is a secreted glycoprotein adhesin that functions as a blood group A lectin to promote critical interactions between ETEC and blood group A glycans on intestinal epithelia for effective bacterial adhesion and toxin delivery. EtpA is highly immunogenic resulting in robust antibody responses following natural infection and experimental challenge of volunteers with ETEC. To understand how EtpA …

Spatial Single-Cell Isotope Tracing Reveals Heterogeneity Of De Novo Fatty Acid Synthesis In Cancer, Elena Buglakova, Måns Ekelöf, Michaela Schwaiger-Haber, Lisa Schlicker, Martijn R Molenaar, Mohammed Shahraz, Lachlan Stuart, Andreas Eisenbarth, Volker Hilsenstein, Gary J Patti, Almut Schulze, Marteinn T Snaebjornsson, Theodore Alexandrov

2020-Current year OA Pubs

While heterogeneity is a key feature of cancer, understanding metabolic heterogeneity at the single-cell level remains a challenge. Here we present

Rhesus Rotavirus Nsp1 Mediates Extra-Intestinal Infection And Is A Contributing Factor For Biliary Obstruction, Enkai Li, Ningguo Feng, Qiru Zeng, Liliana Sanchez-Tacuba, Takahiro Kawagishi, Grace Branham, Gaopeng Hou, Zemin Wang, Harry B. Greenberg, Siyuan Ding

2020-Current year OA Pubs

We previously demonstrated that in Ifnar1-/-Ifngr1-/- or Stat1-/- suckling mice lacking intact type I and type II interferon (IFN) signaling, rhesus rotavirus (RRV) infection causes a lethal disease with clinical manifestations similar to biliary atresia, including acholic stools, oily fur, growth retardation, and excess mortality. Elevated levels of viral RNA are detected in the bile ducts and liver of diseased pups together with severe inflammatory responses in these tissues. However, the viral determinants and the molecular mechanisms driving this process remain incompletely understood. Using an optimized rotavirus (RV) reverse genetics system, we generated a panel of recombinant RVs that encode …

Pulmonary Cellular Toxicity In Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency, Kristine M Abo, Carly Merritt, Maria C Basil, Susan M Lin, Edward Cantu, Michael P Morley, Pushpinder Bawa, Marissa Gallagher, Derek E Byers, Edward E Morrisey, Andrew A Wilson

2020-Current year OA Pubs

No abstract provided.

Generation Of A Gene-Corrected Human Isogenic Ipsc Line From An Alzheimer's Disease Ipsc Line Carrying The Psen1 H163r Mutation, Damián Hernández, Stephanie Morgan Schlicht, Jordan Elli Clarke, Maciej Daniszewski, Celeste M Karch, Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer Network (Dian), Alison M Goate, Alice Pébay

2020-Current year OA Pubs

We report the generation of a gene-edited human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) line from an Alzheimer's disease patient-derived iPSC line harbouring the PSEN1 H163R mutation. This line demonstrates pluripotent stem cell morphology, expression of pluripotency markers, and maintains a normal karyotype.

Clinical Practice Recommendations For Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation And Cellular Therapies In Follicular Lymphoma: A Collaborative Effort On Behalf Of The American Society For Transplantation And Cellular Therapy And The European Society For Blood And Marrow Transplantation, Madiha Iqbal, Brad S Kahl, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Follicular lymphoma (FL) is the most common indolent B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), accounting for nearly one-third of all NHL. The therapeutic landscape for patients with FL has significantly expanded over the past decade, but the disease continues to be considered incurable. Hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) is potentially curative in some cases. Recently, the emergence of chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy (CAR-T) for patients with relapsed/refractory (R/R) FL has yielded impressive response rates and long-term remissions, but definitive statement on the curative potential of CAR-T is currently not possible due to limited patient numbers and relatively short follow up. A consensus …

Examining The Most Important Risk Factors For Predicting Youth Persistent And Distressing Psychotic-Like Experiences, Nicole R Karcher, Aristeidis Sotiras, Tara A Niendam, Elaine F Walker, Joshua J Jackson, Deanna M Barch

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Persistence and distress distinguish more clinically significant psychotic-like experiences (PLEs) from those that are less likely to be associated with impairment and/or need for care. Identifying risk factors that identify clinically relevant PLEs early in development is important for improving our understanding of the etiopathogenesis of these experiences. Machine learning analyses were used to examine the most important baseline factors distinguishing persistent distressing PLEs.

METHODS: Using Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study data on PLEs from 3 time points (ages 9-13 years), we created the following groups: individuals with persistent distressing PLEs (n = 305), individuals with transient distressing …

The Use Of Transvaginal Ultrasound Alters Physiologic Uterine Peristalsis In Gynecologic Participants, Kelsey Anderson, Sicheng Wang, Stephanie Pizzella, Qing Wang, Yong Wang, Valerie Ratts

2020-Current year OA Pubs

OBJECTIVE: To study whether transvaginal ultrasound (TVUS) affected the uterine peristalsis (UP) patterns in nonpregnant participants.

DESIGN: Institutional review board-approved, prospective observational cohort study. The noninvasive UP imaging (UPI) system uses electrode patches placed on the patient's skin just above the pubic bone and on the low back to quantify the 3-dimensional electrical activation pattern during UP by calculating peristalsis frequency, duration, magnitude, and activation ratio. A 20-minute UPI scan was completed without TVUS followed by a 10-minute UPI scan acquired simultaneously during TVUS examination as a comparison.

SETTING: University medical center.

PATIENTS: Twenty-eight participants with regular menstrual cycles not …

Leveraging Machine Learning To Study How Temperament Scores Predict Pre-Term Birth Status, Erich Seamon, Shannon N Lenze, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Preterm birth (birth at < 37 completed weeks gestation) is a significant public heatlh concern worldwide. Important health, and developmental consequences of preterm birth include altered temperament development, with greater dysregulation and distress proneness.

AIMS: The present study leveraged advanced quantitative techniques, namely machine learning approaches, to discern the contribution of narrowly defined and broadband temperament dimensions to birth status classification (full-term vs. preterm). Along with contributing to the literature addressing temperament of infants born preterm, the present study serves as a methodological demonstration of these innovative statistical techniques.

STUDY DESIGN: This study represents a metanalysis conducted with multiple samples (

SUBJECTS: Participants included infants born preterm and term-born comparison children, either matched on chronological age or age adjusted for prematurity.

OUTCOME MEASURES: Infant Behavior Questionnaire-Revised Very Short Form …

"Allowing Space For Voice…All Our Voices:" Understanding Ho'ouna Pono Implementation Through Educational Leadership Perspectives In Rural Hawai'i Schools, Kelsie H Okamura, Tessa Palafu, Katlyn An, Sarah Momilani Marshall, Steven Keone Chin, Kelly A Stern, Byron J Powell, Sara J Becker, David S Mandell, Scott K Okamoto

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Epidemiological research over the past two decades has highlighted substance use disparities that affect Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander youth, and the lack of effective approaches to address such disparities (Okamoto et al., 2019). The Ho'ouna Pono curriculum is a culturally grounded, teacher-implemented, video-enhanced substance use prevention program that has demonstrated efficacy in rural Hawai'i in a large-scale trial (Okamoto et al., 2019). Despite its potential to ameliorate health disparities and address youth substance use, prevention programs such as Ho'ouna Pono have been poorly disseminated and implemented across Hawai'i, raising the question:

Mutant Nrf2e79q Enhances The Promotion And Progression Of A Subset Of Oncogenic Ras Keratinocytes And Skin Tumors, John G Witherspoon, Jonathan R Hall, Dereje Jima, Hannah M Atkins, Nathan T Wamsley, Michael B Major, Bernard E Weissman, Robert C Smart

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs), including lung, head & neck, bladder, and skin SCCs often display constitutive activation of the KEAP1-NRF2 pathway. Constitutive activation is achieved through multiple mechanisms, including activating mutations in NFE2L2 (NRF2). To determine the functional consequences of Nrf2 activation on skin SCC development, we assessed the effects of mutant Nrf2

Dynamic Changes In Circulating Tumor Fraction As A Predictor Of Real-World Clinical Outcomes In Solid Tumor Malignancy Patients Treated With Immunotherapy, Ryan D Gentzler, Aadel A Chaudhuri, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

INTRODUCTION: A dynamic molecular biomarker that can identify early efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy remains an unmet clinical need. Here we evaluate if a novel circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) assay, xM, used for treatment response monitoring (TRM), that quantifies changes in ctDNA tumor fraction (TF), can predict outcome benefits in patients treated with ICI alone or in combination with chemotherapy in a real-world (RW) cohort.

METHODS: This retrospective study consisted of patients with advanced cancer from the Tempus de-identified clinical genomic database who received longitudinal liquid-based next-generation sequencing. Eligible patients had a blood sample ≤ 40 days prior …

Comparison Of Outcomes Of Abdominoperineal Resection Vs Low Anterior Resection In Very-Low Rectal Cancer, Roberta L Muldoon, Alva J Bethurum, Adriana C Gamboa, Kevin Zhang, Fei Ye, Scott E Regenbogen, Sherif Abdel-Misih, Aslam Ejaz, Paul E Wise, Matthew Silviera, Jennifer Holder-Murray, Glen C Balch, Alexander T Hawkins

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: The management of very-low rectal cancer is one of the most challenging issues faced by general and colorectal surgeons. Many feel compelled to pursue abdominoperineal resection (APR) over low anterior resection (LAR) to optimize oncologic outcomes. This study aimed to determine differences in long-term oncologic outcomes between patients undergoing APR or LAR for very-low rectal cancer.

METHODS: The United States Rectal Cancer Consortium (2010-2016) was queried for adults who underwent either APR or LAR for stage I-III rectal cancers < 5 cm from anorectal junction and met inclusion criteria. The primary outcome was disease-free survival. Secondary outcomes included overall survival, length of stay, complications, recurrence location, and perioperative factors.

RESULTS: A total of 431 patients with very-low rectal cancer who underwent APR or LAR were identified; 154 (35.7%) underwent …

An Interpretable Machine Learning-Based Cerebrospinal Fluid Proteomics Clock For Predicting Age Reveals Novel Insights Into Brain Aging, Justin Melendez, Yun Ju Sung, Miranda Orr, Andrew Yoo, Suzanne Schindler, Carlos Cruchaga, Randall Bateman

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Machine learning can be used to create "biologic clocks" that predict age. However, organs, tissues, and biofluids may age at different rates from the organism as a whole. We sought to understand how cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) changes with age to inform the development of brain aging-related disease mechanisms and identify potential anti-aging therapeutic targets. Several epigenetic clocks exist based on plasma and neuronal tissues; however, plasma may not reflect brain aging specifically and tissue-based clocks require samples that are difficult to obtain from living participants. To address these problems, we developed a machine learning clock that uses CSF proteomics to …

Genetic Risk Accentuates Dietary Effects On Hepatic Steatosis, Inflammation And Fibrosis In A Population-Based Cohort, Vincent L Chen, Xiaomeng Du, Antonino Oliveri, Yanhua Chen, Annapurna Kuppa, Brian D Halligan, Michael A Province, Elizabeth K Speliotes

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Steatotic liver disease (SLD), characterized by elevated liver fat content (LFC), is influenced by genetics and diet. However, whether diet has a differential effect based on genetic risk is not well-characterized. We aimed to determine how genetic factors interact with diet to affect SLD in a large national biobank.

METHODS: We included UK Biobank participants with dietary intake measured by 24-hour recall and genotyping. The primary predictors were dietary pattern, PNPLA3-rs738409-G, TM6SF2-rs58542926-T, a 16-variant hepatic steatosis polygenic risk score (PRS), and gene-environment interactions. The primary outcome was LFC, and secondary outcomes were iron-controlled T1 time (cT1, a …

Perioperative Risk Factors For Persistent Postsurgical Pain After Inguinal Hernia Repair: Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Harutyun Alaverdyan, Jooyoung Maeng, Peter K. Park, Kavya Narayana Reddy, Michael P Gaume, Lauren Yaeger, Michael M. Awad, Simon Haroutounian

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Persistent postsurgical pain (PPSP) is one of the most bothersome and disabling long-term complications after inguinal hernia repair surgery. Understanding perioperative risk factors that contribute to PPSP can help identify high-risk patients and develop risk-mitigation approaches. The objective of this study was to systematically review and meta-analyze risk factors that contribute to PPSP after inguinal hernia repair. The literature search resulted in 303 papers included in this review, 140 of which were used for meta-analyses. Our results suggest that younger age, female sex, preoperative pain, recurrent hernia, postoperative complications, and postoperative pain are associated with a higher risk of PPSP. …

Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumor, A Heterogeneous, Aggressive Cancer With Diverse Biomarkers And No Targeted Standard Of Care: Review Of The Literature And Ongoing Investigational Agents, Neeta Somaiah, Bishnuhari Paudyal, Robert E Winkler, Brian A Van Tine, Angela C Hirbe

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Malignant peripheral sheath tumor (MPNST) is a rare, aggressive form of soft-tissue sarcoma that presents a unique set of diagnostic and treatment challenges and is associated with major unmet treatment medical needs.

OBJECTIVE: The chief aim of this review is to consider the epidemiology, histology, anatomic distribution, pathologic signaling pathways, diagnosis, and management of MPNST, with a focus on potential targeted therapies. A subordinate objective was to establish benchmarks for the antitumor activity of such treatments.

RESULTS: MPNST has an incidence of 1:100,000 in the general population and 1:3500 among patients with the inherited condition of neurofibromatosis-1. Spindle-cell sarcomas …

A Podcast On Practical Considerations In Patients With Advanced Urothelial Cancer Receiving First-Line Cisplatin- Or Carboplatin-Based Chemotherapy Followed By Avelumab Maintenance In A Changing Therapeutic Landscape, Jun Gong, Melissa A Reimers

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Platinum-based chemotherapy has been the cornerstone of first-line treatment for advanced urothelial carcinoma for decades, based on its proven efficacy and well-characterized safety profile. Although enfortumab vedotin (EV) plus pembrolizumab showed superior efficacy versus platinum-based chemotherapy in the EV-302 phase 3 trial, common and potentially cumulative toxicities associated with EV plus pembrolizumab may make this combination less suitable for some patients, such as those with pre-existing neuropathy, hyperglycemia, or hepatic impairment, or patients likely to have favorable outcomes with platinum-based chemotherapy. The availability of EV plus pembrolizumab in various countries may also be limited by financial considerations. Thus, platinum-based chemotherapy …

Evaluation Of Knowledge-Based Planning Models For Male Pelvic Cbct-Based Online Adaptive Radiotherapy On Conventional Linear Accelerators, Riley C Tegtmeier, Edward L Clouser, Brady S Laughlin, Diego A Santos Toesca, Mattison J Flakus, Sara Bashir, Christopher J Kutyreff, Dean Hobbis, Daniel P Harrington, Jennifer L Smetanick, Nathan Y Yu, Carlos E Vargas, Sarah E James, Jean-Claude M Rwigema, Yi Rong

2020-Current year OA Pubs

PURPOSE: To assess the practicality of employing a commercial knowledge-based planning tool (RapidPlan) to generate adapted intact prostate and prostate bed volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) plans on iterative cone-beam computed tomography (iCBCT) datasets.

METHODS AND MATERIALS: Intact prostate and prostate bed RapidPlan models were trained utilizing planning data from 50 and 44 clinical cases, respectively. To ensure that refined models were capable of producing adequate clinical plans with a single optimization, models were tested with 50 clinical planning CT datasets by comparing dose-volume histogram (DVH) and plan quality metric (PQM) values between clinical and RapidPlan-generated plans. The RapidPlan tool …

A Damaging Col6a3 Variant Alters The Mir31hg-Regulated Response Of Chondrocytes In Neocartilage Organoids To Hyperphysiologic Mechanical Loading, Niek Gc Bloks, Zainab Harissa, Giorgia Mazzini, Shaunak S Adkar, Amanda R Dicks, Ghazaleh Hajmousa, Nancy Steward, Roman I Koning, Aat Mulder, Berend B R De Koning, Margreet Kloppenburg, Rodrigo Coutinho De Almeida, Yolande Fm Ramos, Farshid Guilak, Ingrid Meulenbelt

2020-Current year OA Pubs

The pericellular matrix (PCM), with its hallmark proteins collagen type VI (COLVI) and fibronectin (FN), surrounds chondrocytes and is critical in transducing the biomechanical cues. To identify genetic variants that change protein function, exome sequencing is performed in a patient with symptomatic OA at multiple joint sites. A predicted damaging variant in COL6A3 is identified and introduced by CRISPR-Cas9 genome engineering in two established human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived in-vitro neocartilage organoid models. The downstream effects of the COL6A3 variant on the chondrocyte phenotypic state are studied by a multi-omics (mRNA and lncRNA) approach in interaction with hyper-physiological mechanical loading …